Nickle, David. Eutopia: A Novel of Terrible Optimism

An unusual horror novel set in the past, in a small mountain town in Idaho, Eutopia is a page turner. Jason Thistledown ends up in the strange town of Elaida, Idaho, after his mom and his town are wiped out by a strange disease. An aunt, whom he didn’t know he had, shows up in the aftermath of this catastrophe to spirit Jason away to Elaida where he falls in love and faces the strange beings who inhabit this corner of the world.

As the secrets of Elaida unfold, the book grabs your attention with twists and turns. The founder of Elaida, as it turns out, is trying to build a Eutopia where workers are treated fairly and everybody is happy and cared for. This attempt to build the perfect world involves eugenics and planned procreation with the strange Mister Juke and his ilk. There are strange mountain folk who have fallen under the spell of Mister Juke and it is up to Jason and the Doctor Andrew Waggoner to save what they can of the town when everyone begins to fall under the spell.

The book is original and very readable. If you like horror novels, this is one you are sure to enjoy.